The inaugural ceremony of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup here weaved a magical atmosphere with more than 50,000 people witnessing the opening ceremony at the Barabati Stadium. Lakhs watched the proceedings on giant LED screens outside the ground and on television. Giant screens were also put up in prominent cities for the people to watch the ceremony.

Schools across the state had been declared closed after 1pm.

Union sports minister Anurag Thakur, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, International Hockey Federation president Tayyab Ikram and Hockey India chairman Dilip Tirkey were present at the glittering ceremony to welcome members of the 16 participating teams.

The official song of the tournament, Hockey Hai Dil Mera, set the tone for the evening. While the fireworks, lighting up the sky, created magic over the stadium, K- Pop group Blackswan had the crowd swaying to its music. Light bands distributed among the audience added to the ambience.

Performances by Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh, Disha Patani and music director Pritam enthralled the crowd.

The ceremony began with Odisha’s tribal dance, with a fusion of at least six local dance forms, choreographed by Aruna Mohanty.

The contribution of former chief minister, the late Biju Patnaik, was also showcased at the event.

“I am thankful to the Prime Minister and the Centre for its support,” chief minister Naveen said and asked the participating teams to enjoy the hospitality of Odisha.

Ikram complimented Odisha — ‘land of hockey’ he called it — for hosting the mega event twice consecutively.

Matches begin from Friday at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela. Hosts India face Spain in Rourkela on the opening day.